What I did on my summer vacation

Well the summer's over. Gee, didn't it fly by? Seems like yesterday the kids were getting out of school. Wasn't much of a summer - we had so much rain. It was so hot we just couldn't enjoy it......

Sound familiar? It seems the Labor Day Weekend has impact beyond being a three day weekend. Everyone (and I mean everyone) joins the "summer's over" conversation. Some sigh. Some smile. Some look forward to a more routine existence. Some rue the loss of laziness. No other holiday has as much impact on our psyches except perhaps those "milestone" birthdays.

For the record. I love summer - heat and all. And it certainly was hot this summer. Our family vacation took us to Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island this year. We headed out to play miniature golf one afternoon and by the time we were finished we all needed to take showers! Now, miniature golf is not a strenuous activity (even in our competitive group) but we were soaked through with sweat. Even the pool water was warm! But it was a great time sandwiched between one son's internship in Toronto and the start of a first job by the other.

Ah yes, Toronto. Through the Newhouse School at Syracuse our younger son Harry had an internship there as a production assistant on the next American Pie movie - The Naked Mile. To say he enjoyed himself would be an understatement. And I think he learned a few things too. The movie goes straight to DVD on December 26th and from what we understand he might have actually made it into the movie! I think we'll preview it before we show it off to the family.....

We traveled to Toronto to visit with Harry and his buddies but our visit was cut short by a threat of a flood back home. We got word the river was going to hit record levels and hit the road! By the time we arrived the evacuation was mandatory and the streets eerily empty. We moved all the stuff we couldn't replace to higher ground and left to bunk in with friends. Fortunately, the new dikes held and we returned to move it all back the next day. But it certainly puts things in perspective - what's really important? And where is that disaster plan at the office?

Our older son George joined the real world with a job at SAIC. He accepted the job, found a place to live, started the job and moved in the span of 10 days. The corporate world is still an enigma to him but he's among folks who speak his language (geek speak.)

Have you been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Ya gotta go! We stopped there on our way to Toronto (yes I know that's not exactly on the way) to see a good friend of mine who is the Director of Development at the Hall. I could have spent the entire day there - and more! The Dylan exhibit was phenomenal. I'm going back as soon as I can.

And speaking of music, we ended the summer Sunday afternoon sitting on the dike in Kirby Park listening to the Beach Boys - the final event of the City of Wilkes-Barre Bicentennial celebration. It was fun, fun, fun. (now why aren't those guys in the Hall of Fame?)

On to the next.
Catherine